Wedging Small Diameter Trees

[Al Smith]

I don't tip enough trees in the course of a year to warrent buying wedges several dozen at a time .It's probabley less than 50 all told this year which most fallers could get in a day or two .The only reason for that many is because of all the dead ash .Actually to be quite truthfull in the average year it's likely less than a dozen with maybe half helped over with a wedge , rope or anything .No skid loaders though .

I think my best best is to order about half a dozen the next order I send to Baileys ,short ones .I thought the 12 inchers were a good idea at the time but I'm not tipping coast redwoods ya know .

 

[flushcut]

I use a coarse grinder to clean up wedges. Kind of stinky but survivable. It doesn't seem to clog the grinder.

I have been using a farriers file (for shoeing horses) and that is the cats ass one side is a rasp and the other is a very corse mll bastard cut.

 

[Al Smith]

I've got two or three of those monster files .Those things are like 18-20 inchs long must weigh a pound and a half .

 

[Burnham]

I don't tip enough trees in the course of a year to warrent buying wedges several dozen at a time .It's probabley less than 50 all told this year which most fallers could get in a day or two .The only reason for that many is because of all the dead ash .Actually to be quite truthfull in the average year it's likely less than a dozen with maybe half helped over with a wedge , rope or anything .No skid loaders though .

I think my best best is to order about half a dozen the next order I send to Baileys ,short ones .I thought the 12 inchers were a good idea at the time but I'm not tipping coast redwoods ya know .

Al, if the trees are 24 inches or bigger, the 12's are fine. The reason the longer wedges work better is that they offer the same lift in a longer ramp than a short wedge does, which means you have more mechanical advantage.

If you are shredding your plastic wedges in as few trees as that, you're asking too much of them. You might be hitting with an axe that has too small a strike surface, or is too heavy. You might be using only one wedge on the tree...two spaced a couple of wedge widths apart and struck alternately is far easier, on the wedges, on the man driving them, and at getting the tree to lift. Another thing...try gutting the hinge, it really helps the wedge work go easier.

All a wedge is, is one of the most simple machines ever invented. And I know without a doubt that you can make any machine serve you well.

 

[Al Smith]

Really I've used wedges for years but they were steel splitters driven with an 8 pound beater .Fact I used some last week because I couldn't get enough lift with the plastic deal to break over a 1"hinge .I opened it up a tad with steel then stacked two plastic ones atop each other and got er over . I thump on the plastic ones with an axe just like the rest of you do but not with such a great success rate .

That praticular tree was another ash,about a hundred footer close to two feet with a tad back lean . I about had to help it a little because gravity wouldn't do it .

 

[Graeme McMahon]

I hope I am on the thread regarding the wedges.
I am not familiar with a hardhead but if you need serious lift we use a steel "T" wedge. 7" accross the pointy end and narrows soon after to 1 1/2", 12" long and has about 1 1/4" lift. Nothing lifts like them, even in softwood. The broad entry end reduces compression of the wood. Big hammer only though.

Graeme